There is a certain element of cockiness you get after doing a full Ironman and rightfully so...it is a feat of discipline and physical achievement. My cockiness comes in the form of not respecting the 70.3 apparently. Based on my recent rants you know I have a 70.3 coming up four weeks and I am severely under-trained due to some setbacks physically.
The mentality was this: "whatever, it's just a 70.3, I can gut it out...I am an Ironamn." I got a serious reality check today as I headed out on my longest bike ride since last August! I hit up a 54 mile hilly ride that b-slapped me across the face and told me to get real and respect the race because any endurance race is not something you just "wing it"....you have to be prepared. With that said, I have about three and a half more weeks to get myself in a place where I can "gut it out."
I do remain confident, but I had gooey jello legs today. It was overcast and 57 degrees; perfect for a nice long ride. My longest ride to date before this was 28 miles. I hit 54 miles in 2:51 at a pace of 18.6mph. I was happy with the time, but last 30 minutes of the ride was really a grind. I was definitely getting re-familiarized with the old neck and butt aches. The part where I took the reality check though, was when I got done and came to the realization that I couldn't go run 13.1 miles. My leggers were toast.
All in all though, great ride and I look forward to really building on it in the next three weeks so I can get to a place where I can cross the finish line without crying like a little girl :)
I had a few good workouts last week although they were shorter ones. I put in a 45 min run / 1200 yard swim brick. Then a 30 min bike / 45 min run brick and then a 2500 yard swim. All the workouts last week went great excpet for that whole sinus death thing I've been fighting. That thing just won't give up. I left a lot of goo in the pool that drained out of my face while I was swimming....sick I know.
I had some family in town this weekend for my daughter's 6th birthday so I took three more days off for that as well as to attempt to get all the way better. This cold feels like my eyes are bleeding and my teeth are being pushed out of my head...bah. Although I had enough snot-rockets to launch a full assault in the war, the bike, as I mentioned went well and I would say I'm back to about 90%.
All I have left to do now is man-up and train my heart out for the next three weeks.
This is hilarious. I feel your pain. My cold lasted 2 solid weeks. You are and IRONMAN and so you do get an extra degree of flexibility that the rest of us Half Ironman'ers haven't earned yet. Just so you know, I am getting faster and stronger so be warned...
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